LONG RANT: Service counter people

Maybe I've just had bad luck but today was the pits.

I called the dealership because my '2000 Tracker had three problems - AC didn't work - Clunk in the underbody when cornering - Exhaust noise problem

They said to bring it in last Saturday.

Fine.

I bring it in.

I get a call back. The AC problem is beyond the comprehension of the weekend crew. Bring it back on Wednesday.

Fine.

I bring it back on Wednesday.

I get a call that they need a bunch of parts and it will be three days.

Fine.

I get another call that the exhaust is fixed but they want the loaner car back so can I come and get my car. The AC isn't fixed yet. I asked if everything else was dealt with. The guy wasn't sure, but he needed the loaner back.

I figure I paid enough for my extended warranty that I'm going to keep that loaner until my car is *fixed*.

They say they should have the parts to fix the AC by Tuesday. I tell them that I absolutely must have my car on Tuesday night because I'm leaving on a trip Wednesday morning. No problem.

I call this morning and ask what the situation is. No parts yet, not sure when they'll come in. I ask if they've checked the clunking, and they say that one of the guys took a look and didn't see anything. I told them that they have to take it for a test drive and *hear* it.

Anyway, I figure 'screw it, no parts so I'll just get the car back'. So I drive up there and the counter lady says "Oh, we got the parts this morning, they're working on it now." Nice. I ask if they checked the clunking. No idea.

I go home.

I call them later. What's up? They say the AC is fixed, come and get it. I ask about the clunking. They say they need parts, and it'll be three days to get them. I'm leaving TOMORROW on a 2000km drive, and they need three days to get SUSPENSION parts for a car that they've had for TEN FRICKIN' DAYS.

I pick up the car. I drive to Wal-Mart to buy a cooler, and the AC doesn't work. I drive back to the dealership. I ask the counter lady how long it should take the AC to blow cold air. She says the engine has to be warmed up. I stare at her. She starts to explain confidently that it's just like the heater. As she's explaining this a service guy in a t-shirt comes through the door, hears what she's saying, and I see his eyebrows going up. I say, "Okay, I'll ask *you*. Does the engine need to be warmed up for the AC to work?" He says "No." He offers to come out and check it out with me. Turns out he's a higher level service guy. We go out to the car, and he confirms that the compressor isn't running. He takes it right in. Half an hour later I get it back and it works. The guy who put the AC parts on didn't bother checking it afterwards. The fuse was blown.

So now, after 10 days, I have a car with working AC, and no exhaust leak, but with ball joints that are sloppy.

Why, for pity's sake, didn't they CHECK everything when they first got it and order all of the parts for EVERY problem right away, instead of dealing with one problem at a time?

The only (!) bright side is that everything (!) is covered by the warranty.

Reply to
Mike Graham
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Reply to
David J and Lynne J Shepherd

Quite the contrary. The BAD thing is that it's covered by warranty... which means that you have to BEG them to do what has been previously paid for. If you had no warranty, you would have more choices. You could either fix it yourself and save a lot of time and money, or you could take it somewhere with money in hand (that you hadn't prepaid) and have them fix it to your satisfaction. When you have the cash, you have the power. When you prepay, you have to beg and take what they give! Stan K.

Reply to
Stan Kasperski

wow. what a PITA.

FWIW, I brought my 2001 Trans Am in today because the passenger window goes "clunk clunk" going up and down. They had a look while I wandered around the lot, needs a new regulator assembly. Not in stock*, they'll have to order it and will call when it comes in.

*they are a rural dealer and probably do 95% of their business in trucks, so I can understand why they don't stock Trans Am parts.

Only car dealer I'll deal with - even if it's a bit of a drive. The salesguy remembered us, the wife still has the Beretta she bought from them in 94... we'll probably be buying a used truck next year... we'll go back.

Melnick Motors - Beasejour, Manitoba.

My only concern is making sure they don't see the nitrous solenoids when I bring it back in... :)

Ray

Reply to
Ray

I used to do that, but I was sick of having cars rot out from under me. This time I wanted one with NO RUST. No chips, no scratches. Pristine. Well, it wasn't really pristine, but for about 65% of the cost of new I had a vehicle that from 10 feet away looked new, and I had the four year warranty. Good enough. If it wasn't for rust I'd still be driving old cars.

Reply to
Mike Graham

Reply to
Stan Kasperski

People have to understand, the dealer isn't going to stock each individual piece for the 100 cars that they have made. You would have to imagine how large their stockroom has to be, plus the inventory cost.

They get the pieces from a warehouse which takes a couple days to be delivered.

The only thing that gets to me is when parts are no longer made.

BTW, long live vintage cars.

Reply to
Erik

The problem here wasn't that they didn't stock every part - I understand that. The problem was that they would look at one problem, order the parts for it, then park the car until those parts came in, install them, then look at the next problem, order the parts and park the car again. In ten days they were only able to fix two out of three problems. A guy that I work with was a dealership mechanic for fifteen years, and he explained to me that all of the guys in the dealership are specialists, so my car would have been dealt with by the exhaust guy, the A/C guy, and the front-end guy. The car doesn't 'move forward' through the list until each guy has dealt with it, and that was apparently the problem.

Reply to
Mike Graham

"Mike Graham" wrote

This usually is because of poor management. Unless the car is totally disabled by what the first tech does/is doing....the vehicle is left open in the system so that other specialists can do "their thing" and order parts or fix the vehicle. But all dealerships are different, it just depends on who is running the tower.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

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